You’d think after saving two different planets from a literal space-god collision, Kirby would get a weekend off. Nope. Just when we thought we had the "Ancients" lore figured out back in 2022, Nintendo dropped the Kirby and the Forgotten Land Star-Crossed World expansion, and honestly, it flips everything we knew about the game's history on its head.
It’s not just a "hard mode" or a victory lap. It’s a massive lore bomb hidden inside a series of "Starry Stages" that makes the base game feel like just the prologue.
The Meteor That Changed Everything
Basically, the whole plot kicks off when a massive meteor—the Star of Darkness—slams into the ocean of the Forgotten Land. This isn't just a rock; it’s a living entity. Its impact forces a brand-new area to rise from the depths: the Fallen-Star Volcano.
If you’ve played through the main story, you know Kirby usually deals with the Beast Pack or the spectral remains of Fecto Forgo. Here, the vibe is different. You’re dealing with the Starries, these tiny, glowing planet-protectors who are basically the celestial police of the Kirby universe. They’re scattered across the world, and instead of rescuing Waddle Dees, you’re rounding up these little guys to reseal the evil that just landed.
The kicker? This meteor is actually Genwel Meteonelfilis, the "brother" (if you can call an eldritch horror that) of Fecto Elfilis. He saw his sibling fail and decided to finish the job.
Why the "Starry Stages" Matter
These aren't just recycled levels. Each stage is a "twisted" version of a location you already know—like a crystal-infused fever dream.
- Meteor Shower's Arrival: A mashed-up version of Natural Plains.
- Lost in Alivel Mall: It’s way creepier than the original, trust me.
- Crystal Beast Pack Volcano Battle: This is where the difficulty really spikes.
The enemies here are "Crystal" variants. They have more health, they hit like a truck, and they have new move sets that will genuinely catch you off guard if you’re playing on autopilot.
The Lore Bomb: Neichel and the Lor Starcutter
This is the part that has the Kirby theorists on Reddit losing their minds. For years, we’ve wondered about the Ancients—the mysterious race that built the Lor Starcutter and the Galactic Novas.
In Kirby and the Forgotten Land Star-Crossed World, we finally get a name: Neichel.
She was a superstar diva in the Forgotten Land thousands of years ago. Through obscure dialogue with Elfilin and hidden figurines, we find out she had prophetic dreams about a meteor destroying the world. She wrote the song "Welcome to the New World" (yeah, the one that’s been stuck in your head since the 2022 trailer) to comfort people as they fled the planet in massive spaceships.
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Here’s the wild part: the DLC heavily implies that Neichel became the Lor Starcutter.
There’s a beeping sound at the end of her song that matches the internal alarm of the Lor Starcutter from Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. The theory is that the inhabitants of the Forgotten Land uploaded her consciousness into their flagship so she could guide them through space forever. It turns the "Forgotten Land" into the literal origin point for the most important technology in the entire franchise.
New Mouthful Modes You’ll Actually Use
We got a few new ways for Kirby to humiliate himself by stretching his mouth over inanimate objects. They aren't just gimmicks; they’re required for the new platforming puzzles in the Star-Crossed stages.
- Spring Mouth: Kirby wraps himself around a giant industrial spring. You can jump ridiculously high and perform a ground pound that clears out waves of Crystal Awoofys.
- Sign Mouth: This one is hilarious. Kirby becomes a literal wooden sign. You use it to slide down steep slopes like a snowboard, and Bandana Waddle Dee actually hitches a ride on top to chuck spears.
- Gear Mouth: Used for mechanical puzzles, allowing Kirby to rotate massive platforms by spinning like a top.
The level design in these sections is much tighter than the base game. It feels like the developers took the "Post-game" feedback to heart and made the platforming genuinely challenging.
The Final Encounter: Genwel Meteonelfilis
If you thought Chaos Elfilis was a nightmare, wait until you hit the top of Fallen-Star Volcano. The fight against Genwel Meteonelfilis is a visual spectacle. He uses "Galactals"—smaller, crystalline servants—to swarm you while he manipulates gravity.
The fight feels like a dance. You’re constantly switching between dodging meteors and finding small windows to land a hit. And if you’re a completionist, beating him unlocks the Ultimate Cup Z EX in the Colosseum.
That’s where the "Lord of Chaos" lives. It’s a buffed-up version of Chaos Elfilis that is arguably the hardest boss in Kirby history. No joke. Bring a Maxim Tomato.
How to 100% Star-Crossed World
If you want that gold star on your save file, you can't just run to the end. You need to be thorough.
- Collect all 86 EX Figures: Astronomer Waddle Dee in town will trade Starry Coins for them, but you’ll find most hidden in the Starry Stages.
- Rescue every Starry: There are usually 9 or 10 per stage. They act as the "Waddle Dees" of this mode. You need 80 to even enter the final boss arena.
- Find the Morpho Knight Sword upgrade: It’s still the king of weapons here, but you’ll need the new blueprints found in the volcano to max it out for the EX Cup.
What This Means for Kirby’s Future
The "Star-Crossed World" content confirms that Kirby isn't just a series of cute standalone adventures. It’s all connected. The "Forgotten Land" civilization are the Ancients. Fecto Elfilis and his brother are part of a wider species of cosmic invaders.
Honestly, the most actionable advice I can give you is this: don't skip the dialogue. Talk to Astronomer Waddle Dee and Elfilin multiple times after you finish the DLC. The game drips lore in small increments, and if you just rush the bosses, you’re missing half the story.
If you’re looking to dive back in, start by clearing the "Natural Plains" Starry Stages. It’ll get you used to the new jump timings with Spring Mouth before the game starts throwing the real heat at you in the later worlds.
To make progress, head over to the Observation Tower in Waddle Dee Town—that's usually where the new Starry indicators appear once you've triggered the initial meteor cutscene. Go grab those Starries and see the "True" origin of the Kirby universe for yourself.